Spotlight On Chris Smith

Smith was perhaps the most important recruit Jim Calhoun landed along the way in building UConn into a national power. He was a top in-state player (from Kolbe Cathedral in Bridgeport) who stayed home. As a sophomore in 1989-90, he was the leading scorer (17.2 ppg) for the Huskies during the Dream Season that ended with an Elite Eight overtime loss to Duke. Also that season, Smith was the most outstanding player as UConn won the Big East tournament for the first time.

Smith averaged 18.9 points as a junior and 21.2 as a senior. He left as the Huskies' all-time leading scorer and remains atop the list today with 2,145 career points. Smith and Richard Hamilton (2,036) are the only 2,000-point scorers in UConn history.

Smith shot 40 percent on three-pointers for his career and averaged 1.91 threes a game, fifth in program history. His 242 three-pointers are third all-time behind Rashad Anderson (276) and Ben Gordon (246), and his 728 field goals are second to Tony Hanson's 784. Smith is UConn's career leader with 107 double-digit scoring games in his career.

Professional highlights: Smith was selected in the second round (34th overall) by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1992 NBA draft. He played 224 games in three seasons, averaging 5.1 points. He then played overseas in France, Spain and Israel until retiring in 2000.

Life Away From UConn: After traveling the world as a player, and being based in Texas for 10 years while married, Smith returned to Connecticut about eight years ago. He has worked in banking, and more recently as a probation officer in Bridgeport. And now he's back in basketball.

Smith will enter his second year as boys coach at his alma mater, Kolbe. Last season, he led Kolbe to the quarterfinals of the Class S state tournament.

"He wants to give back and he definitely feels like Kolbe is home," athletic director Hentry Rondon said last summer. "When you think of Kolbe basketball, there are two names that stick out - Chris Smith and Walter Luckett. Chris is the finished product. This is not someone coming in from New York, Chicago or L.A. It's someone who has made it from Bridgeport, right there in their high school."Smith is looking to eventually move on to college coaching. Previous to coaching at Kolbe, he spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant under coach Ed Cooley at Fairfield.